The Fear of a Werewolf
by EldarWannabe
Summary: So how exactly did the marauders figure out how Remus was a werewolf? A story about more then just the full moon, starring James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. (NO SLASH)
1. How to Find a Boggart

Disclaimer: Not mine, people!

A/N: Inspired by Hermione of werewolf-finding fame, the marauders, in all their second-year splendor, on their way to discovering the truth about Remus Lupin.

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"_A third way to identify a werewolf in its human form, is to expose the suspected monster to a boggart. If the wizard or muggle truly is a werewolf, the boggart will immediately assume the form of a full moon. Do not be fooled by the boggarts seeming appearance of a crystal ball, the moon will be larger and rough, as compared to the smoother crystal ball. If this test proves positive, hesitate no longer in killing the werewolf…_"  
  
James stopped reading, and looked up at Peter and Sirius sitting across the table from him. "So, what do you blokes know about boggarts?"  
  
"I hid one under Regulus's bed once," Sirius said. "Bloody git ran screaming to mum before I could figure out what his worst fear was."  
  
"Where'd you find it?"  
  
"Didn't, the house-elves caught it and were waiting for dad to get rid of it. I just…volunteered to help."  
  
James grinned and Peter laughed.   
  
"Well, then, I guess we'll just have to find some books on them," James said, getting up from the table and heading toward the nearest bookshelf.  
  
All of them got up and scattered about the library, searching for books on boggarts, or anything that looked promising. Within minutes, they gathered back at the table, dumping their respective books onto it.   
  
"_Your Worst Fears and What To Do When You Meet Them: A Book on Boggarts and Psychology_ by A. F. Roid" James read from the cover of one of the books he'd picked up. Then he opened it and began to scan the table of contents, looking for anything useful.  
  
Sirius and Peter followed suit, each fishing through the books on the table for something promising.  
  
"Try to find something on where to find them, and how to capture them," Sirius said, bent over _Boggarts: A History_.   
  
For a few moments there was only the sounds of breathing and the occasional turning of a page as the three searched through their books for anything about where to find a boggart.  


"Oh, this is pointless!" Sirius exploded. "I don't care if the first known boggart was recorded in Egyptian hieroglyphics, I'm a bit more interested about finding them now!"

  
He chucked the book across the room, then hurriedly summoned it back, smoothed the pages and set it down on the table. Madame Pince hadn't been very pleased the last time one of her books had been wrecked by a frustrated Marauder.  
  
"Wait, I think I found something!" Peter said, nearly bouncing in his seat with excitement. Sirius and James both turned to him as Peter cleared his throat. "_There is no need to lure a boggart from its hiding place. Merely provide a clear path ending in a fearful human and the boggart will emerge-_"  
  
"That doesn't have anything to do with where they are!" Sirius exploded.  
  
"Where what are?" Remus asked, coming out from behind a bookshelf, looking tired.  
  
"Back from McGonagall?" Sirius hurriedly questioned, as James slipped _101 Ways to Identify, Hunt, and Kill Werewolves_ off the table into his schoolbag.   
  
"Yeah, she says I have to stop missing so many classes," Remus said with a smile. "And she doesn't want me to fall behind on my schoolwork." He sat down at the table, dropping his bag. "Anyway, what were you talking about?"  
  
"Boggarts," Peter answered him promptly, waving _The Boggarts of Britian and Their Tales _at Remus.  
  
"Why?" Remus asked interestedly, picking _up A Comprehensive Guide to Boggarts_ and examining the cover.  
  
"Reckon we might drop a few on a Slytherin Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Teach the Slytherins to really fear us." Sirius said, laughing.  


"But we can't figure out how to find or capture one," James explained.  
  
Remus nodded distractedly, already immersed in the book. The table once again lapsed into silence, but this time it was more uncomfortable. Siruis, James, and Peter kept giving Remus sidelong glances, and James slid the bag underneath his chair where his robes hid it from view. And they all jumped nervously when Remus started to read.  
  
"_The boggart prefers the dark, hidden places. It can most often be found in areas not commonly graced by the presence of people, be they muggle or wizard, though the boggart will affect both equally. When in search of a boggart, one should be armed with a wand and a cheerful demeanor, and should look in the shadows behind and within even ordinary objects. _Hang on, there's a footnote; _For example, boggarts are most commonly found under beds, in closets and wardrobes, and have even been discovered on occasion lurking in unused cauldrons_."   
  
Peter's jaw dropped.  
  
"Blimey, Remus, we've been here for ages, and you've only taken a few minutes!" James exclaimed, wondering.  
  
Remus smirked slightly, closing the book.   
  
"Well, that settles it," Sirius announced, standing up. He grabbed a few of the books and jammed them into his bag, completely hiding the detailed lunar chart the group had been examining only an hour before, and walked out of the library with his load. The rest of the group followed, each bearing a few books.   
  
"Settles what?" Peter asked as they walked out of the library under Madam Pince's scrutinizing gaze.  
  
"Where to start looking," Sirius answered, flashing a grin at the librarian. "Tonight, the search for the boggart begins…in the dungeons!"  


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A/N: Stupid ending, I know, but the reality is that this was originally a short vignette, until it began to grow…it's only going to be two or three chapters, but it honestly started out much shorter. And in case you think from the first book they were reading that they've already figured it out, guess again. They're only grasping at straws here, they don't know anything. So they're trying to prove their theory.

Review, please. The clicked little button, a few scribbled words, and you've made my day!


	2. Hunting For Boggarts

Disclaimer: No, it's not mine. 

Author's Note: Yeah, well, originally this chapter was almost two whole pages long, and was still as completely pointless as it is now. But then I extended to include more pointlessness, and I forced my beta reader to have a quick look at it so I could post ASAP, because I feel guilty about not posting all this time. In the end, this story should last maybe four chapters, (unless my must decides to extend it *more*) and I hope to be updating for it again soon.

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"Ouch!"  
  
"Peter!"  
  
"It wasn't me!"  
  
"Shhh! Someone's going to hear us!"  
  
The four friends fell silent as they slowly walked down the corridor toward the dungeons. They were all huddled uncomfortably under James' Invisibility Cloak, and more then one set of toes were trod upon.   
  
They all paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at the dimly lit staircase to the dungeons.   
  
"So, who wants to go first?" James asked, pulling off the cloak after a quick look around for any teachers.  
  
"There might be a professor down there," Peter said nervously, with a glance down the stairs.  
  
"Doing what, exactly?" Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Then he went down the stairs, followed by Remus and Peter. James came last, stuffing his cloak into his bag as he went.  
  
"_Lumos_," Sirius muttered, as soon as he reached the floor. He looked around as the others joined him. "Right, so we'll start checking the rooms." Sirius said, heading for the nearest door.  
  
The all followed, pulling out and lighting their own wands as they scattered to the four corners of the room to examine all possible boggart locations.   
  
Sirius dragged a trunk to the middle of the floor, and, after a cursory glance around for boggarts, began pulling out vials of various dark-colored liquids.  
  
"If a boggart hasn't come out yet, you're not going to find one in there, Sirius," said James, heading toward a curtain in the back of the room and pulling it back, his wand at the ready.   
  
"They keep the weirdest things down here," Sirius said, squinting at one of the vials filled with a dark purple liquid.  
  
"I don't think there's any boggarts in here," Remus said, closing the door to the wardrobe. "Maybe we should look somewhere else."  
  
"Yeah," Peter agreed, clutching his wand fearfully.  
  
Sirius reluctantly replaced the vials and pushed the trunk back, then the group moved down the hall, checking dark corners and peering into rusty cauldrons as they went.  
  
"Not easy to find, are they?" Remus commented, as the group left their fifth dungeon empty-handed.   
  
"They have to be somewhere," Sirius said stubbornly, banging the next door open.  
  
"Nothing," Peter said, after the whole room had been searched, with no results.  
  
"So, Remus, how's your mum?" James asked casually as they headed down the hall for the next room.   
  
"Fine," Remus answered quickly, then changed the subject. "What did you guys learn in Charms after I left?"  
  
"The theory of something boring and pointless," Sirius answered, poking an ominous-looking candlestick with his wand. After the candlestick proved harmless he continued poking all of items on the shelf next to it.  
  
"Do you think you're going to find any that way?" Peter asked, turning away from a still unopened cabinet to watch Sirius in fascination.  
  
"No idea. How big are boggarts anyway?" Sirius said, poking an indistinguishable lump of dust.  
  
"Think you might need something a bit larger than--" James started to reply, before the lump of dust exploded in an orange burst of light.  
  
All the boys threw up their arms to protect their eyes, and peeked out between nearly-closed eyelids to see the room lit up by an orange demon-like statue, which growled at Sirius before leaping off the shelf and flying out the door.  
  
"Hey, hey wait a minute!" Sirius cried out, alarmed, and the group ran after the bright statue, chasing it down the hall and through a number of rooms until the statue darted decisively into one room, hit the wall, and went out.  
  
"What was that about?" Remus asked, picking up the statue and examining it.  
  
"Where are we?" Peter asked a little nervously, looking around the room. "I don't think I recognize this place."  
  
The other three shrugged, and held up their wands to reveal a room full of cauldrons, each covered in the same dusty white cloths, completely indistinguishable from each other.  
  
Sirius headed over to one of the cauldrons and hauled to cover off. "What is this stuff?" he asked, holding his wand over it to reveal a green, gloppy sort of substance.  
  
"Looks dangerous," Peter observed, his eyes wide.  
  
"Well, let's find out," Sirius said, rolling up his sleeve.  
  
"Sirius, no!" Remus cried, dropping the statue and rushing over.   
  
James made a leap for Sirius's arm, but Sirius jammed it into the liquid until his elbow. The other three froze, watching his expression, all of them fully aware of the dangers of unknown magical substances.  
  
"How-how does it feel?" Peter whispered, sounding terrified.  
  
"My arm! It's burning off!" Sirius cried, before slumping onto the side of the cauldron with a moan of pain.  
  
James and Remus grabbed his shoulders as Peter whimpered, backing away, but Sirius opened his eyes and started laughing as they hauled him to his feet.  
  
"No, no stop, I'm fine," he gasped, laughing so hard there were tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "It just feels cold and gloppy, like maybe cold porridge, or spoiled milk."  
  
"Sirius!" James said, whacking him good naturedly.   
  
"Th-that wasn't funny," Peter insisted, approaching them again and eyeing Sirius still-submerged arm.  
  
"Oh, I think it's just a potion gone bad," Sirius said, pulling his arm out, "look!"  
  
All of them gasped, Sirius included. His arm was now a mottled green, and the skin appeared to be growing too big for his bones, then bunching up, almost like gloves that were too big for him. They all watched his arm in fascination.  
  
"Wicked," Sirius murmured, completely ignoring the fact that it was his arm that was undergoing the transformation  
  
"Oi, it's spreading!" James exclaimed, and Sirius jerked his sleeve up his arm and they watched the green creep past his elbow toward his shoulder.  
  
"What is that?" Peter said, fascinated, as he reached out--almost reluctantly--to touch Sirius's arm.  
  
Remus picked up a sheaf of papers from next to the cauldron and began to read. "It's one of the seventh-years' experimental potions," he said, flipping through the papers. "All he did was combine the Skin-Stretching Solution with the Rubber-Skin Potion and added the green effect to look interesting."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure the girls will be fascinated," Sirius said sarcastically. "Did he make an antidote?"  
  
"Yeah, it was part of the assignment," Remus said, pulling the cover off another cauldron. "This should be it."  
  
He scooped up some of it with a ladle, and turned to Sirius, holding it out.  
  
Sirius took it and looked dubiously into the crimson mixture, looking in the eerie half-light of their wands suspiciously like human blood.  
  
"Hold your nose," James advised, taking a sniff of the stuff.  
  
"And close your eyes," Peter added encouragingly.  
  
Sirius looked at both of them, back at the potion in his hands, grimaced and swallowed.  
  
"Well, how did it taste?" Remus asked, taking back the ladle and laying it next to the cauldron.  
  
"Terrible," Sirius answered, watching his skin turn back to normal. Then Sirius looked up, a grin on his face. "But it gave me a brilliant idea."  
  
Peter groaned, "Oh no, what is it this time?"  
  
"Well," Sirius said slowly, "Where do you think would be a really good place to hide the antidote?"  
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No, I haven't forgotten about the hunt for the boggart. This chapter (and the next) are supposed to represent my feelings about the Marauders; that they jumped from adventure to adventure without necessarily finishing anything, just enjoying the thrill. But they don't forget about the boggart either, don't worry!

=And yeah, this chapter is not one of my favorite works, I feel like I missed something somewhere, and I scribbled it off because my muse randomly came to me and demanded I finish it already, but it fulfills it purpose…leading on to the next chapter, where we will see the RETURN OF THE GREEN GLOP. 

And reviews are always appreciated, of course.


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